On behalf of Michigan Citizens Advocating for Public Education and Lake Orion Community Schools Involved Citizens, I'd like to thank everyone who joined us at the Orion Township Library to participate in the Community Conversation on the Future of Education.

This important conversation was facilitated by the Center for Michigan, a nonpartisan "think and do" tank in Ann Arbor. All around the state, the Center is engaging small groups of "customers" of the education industry and others who are usually not included in Lansing's debates about education: parents, students, employers, educators, and community members. The voices of the Lake Orion participants will be among the 5,000 heard by the Center on the subject of how best to improve student learning in Michigan's schools. We used clickers to vote on topics such as expanding early childhood programs, changing the school calendar, reducing class sizes, holding teachers more accountable for student success, and family/community involvement. This information will form the core of a report on student learning to be presented to Governor Rick Snyder and all of Michigan's legislators.

Participants also shared success stories of what's working in our community that might be emulated by others. One key point: the close and caring nature of the Lake Orion community and our identity: "once a Dragon, always a Dragon!"

Again, a hearty thank-you to the participants, library, Center for Michigan, and Oakland Township/Lake Orion Patch for their part in helping to make this evening a success.